Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5043 Review

Even when money is tight, students still need laptops for school. Heck, even grandparents should own a PC these days. But not all computing needs are created equal, and not every shopper needs a feature-packed fashion accessory. Those in the market for a bare-bones machine may warm to the $449.99 Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5043, which satisfies everyday needs, such as checking e-mail, surfing the Web, storing music and pictures, creating simple word processing documents, and watching movies. Penny-pinchers will appreciate the omission of special features like a Blu-ray drive and a Webcam, but shoppers should be wary of this notebook’s performance before they commit. This machine is built around a single-core processor, seldom seen in new laptops outside netbooks these days.

Though we usually expect less-than-thrilling performance from PCs under $500, there’s no reason aesthetics should fall by the wayside. The C655D-S5043 looks pleasant compared with some of the bland systems in its class. Its ample frame, measuring 1.5x15.1x11 inches, is covered in black plastic and lightly textured to resemble a chain-link fence. The pattern is small and subtle, and it provides a tactile grip on the lid and palm rest areas. The lid flexes a bit, but the chassis feels sturdy enough to endure either a road trip or a short jaunt inside a computer bag—though at 5.5 pounds, this unit is probably too heavy for a daily commuter.

The textured lid is attractive, but it does flex a bit.

The C655D-S5043’s connectivity options are limited, which is par for the course on a budget machine. (We define “budget” as a PC that costs less than $800.) Along the right side of the chassis, you’ll find a power port and a DVD±RW drive. The left side of the chassis sports a lock slot, a VGA-out port, an Ethernet jack, a microphone and a headphone jack, and only two USB ports. While we expect midsize laptops to have at least three USB ports, the C655D-S5043’s closest competitor—the $398 HP Compaq Presario CQ62—has only two, as well. The C655D-S5043 also includes a three-format flash-card reader (something the Compaq Presario lacks) along the beveled front edge. There is no HDMI output, which we can forgive at this price, but we’re surprised that Toshiba did not include a modem jack, which this class of laptop sometimes has. While the C655D-S5043 also lacks Bluetooth connectivity, it does support 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi wireless networking.

Along the left side of the chassis, you’ll find a lock slot, a VGA-out port, an Ethernet jack, a microphone and a headphone jack, and two USB ports.

Web surfing and word processing are unencumbered by the keyboard and touch pad, both of which function just fine. The matte-black keyboard features flat, roomy letter keys and a dedicated number pad. Typists will notice that the keyboard flexes, as we sometimes see with budget models (though not with the Compaq Presario). Compared with the wide keyboard, the touch pad appears smallish. Nonetheless, navigating around Web pages feels comfortable, and multi-gesture input looks fairly smooth. The mouse buttons are large and have pleasant vertical travel.

The C655D-S5043 has no dedicated multimedia keys, but we rarely find them on budget models. The keyboard is roomy, and the touch pad, though small, works quite well. The mouse buttons are large, which is a treat.

Above the deck is a glossy 15.6-inch wide-screen TFT LCD. With a 16-to-9 aspect ratio and a native resolution of 1,366x768, it’s a gorgeous display for watching DVDs via the integrated optical drive. Tight viewing angles usually plague this class of laptop, and the C655D-S5043 is no exception: The picture begins to look washed out at 45 degrees off-center. When we sat in front of the viewing sweet spot, videos looked excellent. Streaming content online—even in HD—plays without a hitch over a strong Internet connection, and downloaded HD videos look crisp and clear. The integrated speakers, on the other hand, produce hollow sound with weak bass. Instead of enjoying full volume with the wide, bright display, we found ourselves wishing for louder audio.

The right houses the power port and DVD±RW drive. These connectivity offerings are the same as the Compaq Presario’s, with the exception of the three-format media card reader (located along the C655D-S5043’s front edge).

We were mostly pleased with the system’s physical aspects and its basic abilities, but we expected it to deliver a somewhat better performance on our benchmark tests. Indeed, the single-core AMD V Series V120 processor made a very lackluster showing. First, we evaluated overall system performance using our PCMark Vantage test. Since the C655D-S5043 operates on the 64-bit version of Windows Home, we ran both 64-bit and 32-bit versions of this test. (Many notebooks operate on only the 32-bit OS, so we test with both for comparison.) The C655D-S5043 scored 2,239 (64-bit) and 2,130 (34-bit). The $398 HP Compaq Presario CQ62, built around a slightly beefier processor, notched better scores: 3,458 (64-bit) and 3,152 (32-bit).

We ran three processor tests to evaluate the C655D-S5043’s CPU specifically, and again the results lagged behind the competition. On our Windows Media Encoder (WME) test, the system converted a video file in 13 minutes and 56 seconds, the slowest time we’ve seen in 2010 among mainstream systems. The Compaq Presario CQ62, by contrast, managed a faster time of 8:16; both are much slower than the 5:44 average for mainstream notebooks.

The C655D-S5043 fared slightly better on our iTunes test, in which it converted our 11 standard MP3 files to AAC format in 5 minutes and 56 seconds. That’s quite close to the Compaq Presario CQ62’s time of 6:05; note, though, that the average score on this test, across all laptops we've tested in 2010 in all price ranges, is 4:18.

The C655D-S5043 fell short again on our Cinebench 10 test, which taxes all available cores on the CPU: 1,874 (32-bit) and 2,147 (64-bit). The Compaq Presario CQ62’s 32-bit score was a significantly higher 3,927, and the $580 Acer Aspire 5741Z scored 4,111 on the 64-bit version. The C655D-S5043’s single-core AMD processor just can’t stack up the CPUs used in other budget machines.

We evaluated the C655D-S5043’s graphics chipset, an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250, using our 3DMark06 test, which tests graphics performance. At its native resolution of 1,366x768, the C655D-S5043 mustered a relatively weak score of 1,503, hot on the heels of its budget brethren, the Compaq Presario CQ62 (1,614) and the Acer Aspire 5741Z (1,662). At a resolution of 1,024x768, the C655D-S5043’s score on this test was 1,706. (The Compaq Presario’s was 1,901, and the Acer Aspire’s was 1,942.) The C655D-S5043’s 3D scores are high enough to make social-media games—like Farmville—an enjoyable experience, but they won’t allow for hard-core 3D gaming. (More on that in a moment.) However, the class average for mainstream notebooks is much higher. At their native resolutions, most midsize laptops deliver a 3DMark06 score of 3,000 or higher, and at 1,024x768, the typical mainstream laptop exceeds 3,500.

Even though its 3DMark06 scores weren’t stellar, we tested the C655D-S5043’s 3D gaming capabilities using one of our real-world test games, Company of Heroes (COH), to get a better idea of its gaming prowess. At the system’s native resolution, the system's score was a lackluster 9.8 frames per second (fps) under DirectX 9. And as we expected, DirectX 10 graphics were too much for the system. At its native resolution, with most of the eye candy turned on, the C655D-S5043 eked out a pitiful 3.8fps. Dialing down the resolution to 1,024x768, the results (6.1fps) were not much better. We don’t recommend this rig to gamers, but we are slightly more inclined to suggest the Acer Aspire 5741Z, which managed adequate frame rates (about 25fps under both DX9 and DX10) at its native resolution.

To measure battery life, we popped a movie into the DVD drive and enjoyed the show for 2 hours and 18 minutes before the system powered down. By comparison, the Compaq Presario lasted for 2:23 before its battery died, and the Acer Aspire impressed with its time of 3:14. On the whole, mainstream laptops usually struggle with battery life, but the C655D-S5043’s time is still about 20 minutes shy of the category average (2:41). There is a premium on strong batteries in this laptop class: The best time we’ve seen this year came from the $2,199 Apple MacBook Pro, which lasted for a jaw-dropping 6:55.

While the C655D-S5043’s benchmark scores left something to be desired, Toshiba rounds out the system with a decent mix of bundled software, such as Windows Live Essentials, Adobe Reader, Microsoft Works Version 9.0, QuickBooks Financial Center, Toshiba Bulletin Board (an organizational suite), Toshiba Reel Time (a search tool that displays the visual history of a file), Toshiba Disc Creator, Toshiba Recovery Disk Creator, and Microsoft Silverlight. Less-desirable trials that come preinstalled are Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 Edition (60 days) and Norton Internet Security 2010 (30 days).

Reaching out to the environmentally conscious consumer, Toshiba has made a laptop that complies with RoHS, EPEAT Gold, and Energy Star. Toshiba also offers a free electronics recycling program. The system’s warranty offering is not as generous as those from some rival companies, but it does offer a yearlong parts-and-labor guarantee, a one-year battery guarantee, and 24/7 phone support.

The C655D-S5043 is a basic laptop for the most basic needs: Web browsing and e-mail, watching video offline and on, and basic productivity tasks. Students struggling along with an older machine may also be grateful for a machine with more oomph than a netbook and a roomier HD screen. This Satellite's low price, its most endearing feature, is not the lowest we’ve seen, however: The $398 HP Compaq Presario CQ62 offers one of the best deals around on a bare-bones laptop. Also, its performance scores aren't a field leader among budget laptops. Those who want a basic model, but with a few extras, should also weigh the Acer Aspire 5741Z.

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